improvement over things, even at a loss. loss sometimes builds your character. my dad would certainly have said that. it will build your character. and it did. i think that, certainly, in my viewpoint, i was meant to stay in the senate for a few more years. we accomplished a lot during those years, like the bills that i mentioned. so i'm grateful that i did it. and if anybody asks me i always say you should do it, you should go for it. because even in losing, even if you do not win, and you have to be ok with not many, if you do -- not winning, even if you do not waive you gain so much from the experience. >> what you think your dad would say that you have one? rep. houchin: my dad passed away in 2019 of parkinson's. he was a dentist. he told me growing up, erin you can be anything you want to be in the world. just don't be a dentist. so, you know, what i learned and again from him is that he did not like the practice of dentistry, but he loved his patients and cared about his

community and that is what came , through to make. i think he would be super proud. i mean, i feel his presence, you know, sort of pride and in what we are doing, i think he would be over the moon excited about having this opportunity to serve my state and the nation in this way. >> sydney kamlager-dove is that the democrat now represent california's 37th congressional district in one of the nea new faces in the house without 180th congress. a former staffer for los angeles governen bass, she talked to c-span about political advice from her former boss, her relationship with her divorced parents, and how she first got into politics. rep. kamlager-dove: well, i really got my first taste of politics working with my grandmother to help elect harold washington as the first black mayor of chicago. i spent time with my mother on picket lines, learning the history of this country and other world histories as well. and i found my way into politics

actually quite -- it was a winding road. i came up to los angeles to go to college, i stayed there and i ended up working on some campaigns and ultimately working with my boss to get her elected into the state legislature and followed in her footsteps. now here i am. >> on the state level, when and where did you serve? rep. kamlager-dove: i served at the local level with the los angeles community college board, and after that i ran for the state assembly in 2018. and then in 2021, i ran for the state senate. both of those happened to be special elections. i guess i am a runner. with mayor karen bass stepping down actually become the mayor of los angeles, i ran for the seat this election cycle. >> any advice she gave you? rep. kamlager-dove: she said have fun, take a breath, she said build relationships, and she said follow your heart and your passion. if there are things that you

care about, things about this country that you love and want to protect, if there are communities that you think need to be elevated, lean into those committees and stories and -- those experiences and to stories and successes that help people remember why this country is so great, and why it is so important that we fight for it. rep. kamlager-dove: have your mom and dad been along for this journey? >> my dad lives in l.a., so he gives you tips, calls me on the phone from time to time to tell me to read an article or give me tips. my mother sent me these emails on a weekly basis, they are testimonials from her friends that are so excited that i ran for office. and then of course they were here to watch me get sworn in, and they were also seeing the sausage not get made for about a week. but they have been so excited and my mom actually wrote me and email -- and email not long ago saying that my dad was showing pictures of the apartment where

i was born, just talking to strangers in the capital. that really warms my heart. >> a proud moment for them when you were sworn in then. rep. kamlager-dove: i think so, they have been divorced for a long time, so now they are friends. it was great to hear them hang out together and cry with one another and giggle over the success of their only child. so it made them proud and it really humbled me. >> how was your childhood, where were -- where did you grow up what was it like? rep. kamlager-dove: i'm originally from chicago, born in lincoln park, raised in hyde park and the southside, product of an interracial marriage, my folks were denied housing because they were an interracial couple. they had to fight the city to allow them to be in this apartment. i was raised on picket lines, my mother is an actress, so i was raised in the back stages of theaters across this country. my dad was a social worker, so i would spend time learning about

their work and their fight for social justice. i am a product of the arts, so i believe that artists are some of the most important people in our country. the arts help us heal, understand each other, they elevate our spirits, and so it is so important that i think we invest in art and in artists in our communities. that really has sort of guided me on my own journey, because while politics is about making sure that there is access to freedom and democracy, it is also about celebrating the diversity and the history of this country and what better way to do that than to elevate the artist? >> would that explain why you are a democrat? [laughter] rep. kamlager-dove: i am a democrat because i believe in freedom for a woman's right to choose, and because i believe everyone has the right to vote, and that the vote should be counted. and i certainly believe in diversity, and this amazing diverse tapestry that makes our country. so i would hope that everyone else would really espouse the same values, and if we all

thought that way we would probably have more bipartisan participation in this thing we call government. >> do have a political mentor? rep. kamlager-dove: so many. i never met her, but shirley chisholm, barbara jordan paving the way for so many. i have a ceremonial swearing that will be happening using the bible of rosa parks. so, she is certainly an icon. my grandmother for helping me understand the importance of local politics, karen bass, l.a. supervisor holly j mitchell, so many women that i look to for inspiration, and also for critique. that is how we get better. >> kevin kiley is the representative for california's third coreional district, one of the nearly 80 new house members of the 180th congress. -- hundred and 18th congress. he told c-span about his candidacy in california's 202021 gubernatorial recall election,